Wildfire danger, responses highlighted for Santa Cruz County

Corralitos >> CalFire Battalion Chief Jake Hess and his profession's peers have been waiting for the fire season to end for 18 months now.

Hess told a group of nearly 30 people gathered to learn about the dangers of wildland fire Sunday afternoon that the approach of summer this year is causing the hairs on the back of his neck to rise.

"When we do get the big fire, we're going to be overwhelmed like that," Hess said, snapping his fingers. "I'm not here to scare you. I'm here to paint a picture and face reality."

Community members gathered at the Corralitos Grange Hall for a two-hour session tailored to Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT).

For Jennifer Mathews, wildfire is not a "what-if." In October, she found herself about 100 feet from a fire and trapped on a hill with several neighboring families in the Redwood/Cathedral neighborhood of Aptos. While no one was killed, two homes were destroyed in the blaze.

"I had my home six months prior, and I had no idea," Mathews said of her wildfire preparedness. "I'm here now to protect myself and to become educated on fire."

Hess told the group that the biggest contribution homeowners can make to prevent wildfires is to create a 100-foot vegetation clearance around their homes. He stressed that some vegetation may be needed to protect the area against mudslides and erosion, but said efforts to keep overhanging growth intermittent would make firefighters' jobs easier in protecting homes.

Residents were also told to ensure they have more than one ingress and egress from the home, and to prepare some kind of emergency "go kit" with water and other supplies for quick departures. Neighbors were encouraged to band together to find or create some kind of safe haven with overhead clearance — like a large field — for shelter.

One audience member asked if emergency responders could improve key communications, so that residents are not funneled down roads in bumper-to-bumper traffic while exposed to danger.

On a more sobering note, Hess warned the audience that CalFire has changed its philosophy when it comes to trying to save empty structures that are burning dangerously.

"We're not in the business to trade a life for an empty structure," Hess said.

A few inches of rain this spring has not been the soothing balm on wildfire danger, Hess told the group. In fact, it has caused undergrowth that has lain dormant to sprout up. In a firefighter's view, the new growth combined with drought conditions just means more kindling for the fire.

Becky Steinbruner, a CERT member and ham radio operator whose home was adjacent to last year's Redwood/Cathedral neighborhood fire, said the blaze provided incentive for her to try and help educate others about the danger. She said during the frenzy of the fire, all the evacuation planning the family had done went out the window. Steinbruner suggested families physically go through their emergency plans.

"I wanted to open (the training) up to communities all around because fire doesn't pay attention to property lines, it doesn't pay attention to community boundaries. It's everywhere," Steinbruner said. "This summer is going to be really critical in that we as a mountain community must work together."

The San Mateo-Santa Cruz CalFire provides workshops to local communities and road owners' associations, Hess said during a break. For more information on presentations, call Rich Sampson at 831-335-6742 or for a copy of a recording made Sunday, contact Steinbruner at 831-685-2915.